Mandron, Dale, Long and Finney all on target.
Alex forwards, Christopher Long, Owen Dale (twice) and Mika Mandron (twice), all got themselves on the score sheet in our 6-0 victory at Witton Albion this evening. Midfielder, Oli Finney, was also on target in the comfortable run-out five minutes before the interval.
It was all about fitness levels and avoiding injuries but Crewe kept the tempo high and scored some eye-catching goals on the night.
Crewe Alexandra set the tone for the evening by creating the first chance in the opening minute. Mandron, Finney and Long all combined with one touches before the ball was returned into the path of Mandron but he was denied by the onrushing Raajan Gill in the Witton Albion goal.
As expected Crewe dominated the ball and looked sharp in the final third. At times, we were a little too eager and our chances were halted by an assistant’s flag. Mandron and Griffiths both had goals chalked off for offside but the goals flowed freely.
The opening goal on 15 minutes was excellently worked between Mandron and Dale, with the winger drifting off the right flank before hitting Mandron’s lay off on the edge of the box into the top corner of the net for his first goal of pre-season. It was a fantastic finish.
The second goal of the night duly arrived eight minutes later with Witton caught out by Long’s clever and timely run in behind to coolly tuck home his first goal for his new club. Moments later, Finney dragged a good chance wide and that was followed by Luke Murphy’s deflected effort spinning away for a corner after he had turned smartly on the edge of the Witton box.
A rush of blood by a Witton defender saw him rather bizarrely drag Dale down by his collar and the referee had no choice but to award a penalty on 27 minutes. Mandron stepped up to put Gill the wrong way.
Witton didn’t offer too much of a threat in attack but after a loose ball in midfield found him, Will Jones’ ambitious effort from almost 35 yards was a warning sign.
The fourth and final goal of the first period fell invitingly to Finney after a deflected off a Witton body put him beyond the backline. Mandron had caused the panic with a run across the 18 yard box and Finney spun and dispatched his shot past a helpless Gill for 4-0.
Witton came close to scoring in the opening minute of the second half but midfielder Tom Owens saw his effort blocked and then smothered by Will Jaaskelainen. It was a good chance.
Oli Finney shot wide from long distance before Dale did find the range and unleashed a terrific shot for his second goal of the evening on 51 minutes. The club’s Player of the Year scored two top class goals and was close to a hat-trick after a flowing move involving skipper on the night, Murphy and Finney found him. Dale intelligently let the ball run across him before shooting fiercely at Gill. He also shot inches over in the closing minutes as he looked to add to the team’s tally.
Youngster’s Zac Williams and Charlie Finney were given minutes on the pitch, as well Sean Lawton at left-back in the first half. Crewe kept the tempo high with most of the senior players getting that crucial 90 minutes under their belts. It was another useful run-out as we continue our preparations for that seasonal opener against Cheltenham Town on 7th August.
Mandron completed the scoring in the 88th minute with a simple tap in after a smart move between Dale and Long crated the chance. After Murphy had done superbly in the initial build-up, Dale back healed Long in behind and he centred for Mandron to score the sixth.
Crewe: Jaaskelainen, Johnson, Lawton (Williams), Offord, Hoban, Griffiths, Dale, Murphy, O. Finney (C.Finney), Long, Mandron